British aircraft continue attacks on Islamic State

Tornado jets hit two targets in the Tigris valley, while Typhoons and a Reaper worked together against Islamic State positions north of Mosul.

Tornados continued their work over the Tigris on Sunday 9 October, when they destroyed a mortar team and a nearby ammunition stockpile near Qayyarah, with a pair of Paveway IVs. North of Mosul, a Reaper worked alongside two Typhoons.

The Reaper provided surveillance support to a highly effective artillery bombardment that destroyed a Islamic State training camp.

It then tracked two terrorists as they moved to a rocket launching position, where they were seen working under the cover of some trees. A Hellfire missile killed the terrorists and the Typhoons then followed up with a Paveway IV attack to destroy the rockets.

Recently the Ministry of Defence revealed that British aircraft have carried out more than a thousand air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

In October 2014, the Ministry of Defence announced the deployment of an undisclosed number of MQ-9 Reaper unmanned combat aerial vehicles to assist with surveillance.

The first airstrike conducted by a Reaper occurred in November 2014.

By September 2015 – a full year after the operation first began – Tornado and Reaper aircraft had flown over 1,300 missions against Islamic State.

According to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, the UK had conducted a “huge number of missions” over Iraq by December 2014, second only to the United States and five times as many as France.

By February 2015, the UK had contributed 6% of all coalition airstrikes in Iraq – a contribution second only to the United States – which the Defence Select Committee described as “modest”.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

“Daesh is firmly on the back foot. RAF jets are hitting them hard, driving them back and helping local forces recapture territory. This vital work is freeing innocent civilians from a brutal regime, while keeping our streets safe at home.”

Over 3,000 armed sorties have now been flown since operations started in 2014.